I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.

Have you ever thought about floating shelves? I think pairing a few floating shelves together would look great and would free up space in your living room. I really like the Eugene floating shelf from Bryght and I think it would compliment your existing pieces. http://www.bryght.com/product/160/eugene-cocoa-shelf

Hi all, My existing kitchen needs a major revamp and I am currently in the process of talking to kitchen vendors to redo the whole thing and also add a kitchen island for regular dining. I am a bit confused about what finishes to go for to achieve a classy yet fun kitchen. I love the Spanish/ Moroccan tiles that are in style these days and would love to use them on the back splash and floor. Also, mostly got to go with black granite counter tops to survive Indian cooking. For top cabinets, If i got with white matte/hi-gloss(you can suggest which easy to maintain and look good) and wood veneer on bottom cabinets, would it be too busy and clash ? Please help me out with this. Thanks in advance. EXISTING INSPIRATION

First of all a very happy and prosperous DIWALI to you and ur members.. DIWALI, popularly called Deepavali in some parts of India, is a festival which I long for every year. The preparations for Deepavali start long before the festival date. First, the excitement for me would be the new dresses that are bought to be worn for Deepavali. Apart from this all elders visiting us buy us sweets and dresses also. Jeans, T shirts, Trousers and shirts were all bought for me by my parents. The other major excitement for Deepavali is the bursting of crackers and fireworks.This year I will burst lot of crackers but only eco-friendly. Earlier I used to be afraid of crackers. Now I have got over the fear of bursting crackers. My parents tell me that I have to be very careful while bursting. I followed their advice and there was no fire accident also. The third rejoicing aspect of Deepavali for me is the eating of sweets.We visit relatives and friends with sweets and snacks. They also visit us with sweets and snacks. We seek their blessings on the festival day. Gulab jamun, Laddoos, Halwas and Kaju cakes were my favorites. My grandmother tells me that the victory of Good over Evil is the reason for this celebration. She also says that the festival is to mark the return of Rama to Ayodhya after his defeat of Ravana. In all, I can say that Deepavali is the brightest festival to be celebrated in India.According to me,the delicious food associated with the feast makes us feel that this festival must come more often in a year.